City may require alcohol training

SAN MARCOS: At its meeting Tuesday night, the City Council will consider a proposed ordinance aimed at preventing problems involving alcohol.

The measure, called the Responsible Beverage Sales and Service Ordinance, would require San Marcos bartenders, servers and salesclerks to undergo mandatory training. They would have to learn how to spot fake IDs, recognize the signs of intoxication and how to cut off alcohol sales to inebriated customers.

The certified training would be required once every two years. Poway, Solana Beach and National City have similar ordinances.

The ordinance was suggested by the North Inland Community Prevention Program and recommended by the city's Student and Neighborhood Relations Commission.

The council meeting will start at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive. –L.L.

Property-upkeep plan to be unveiled

SAN MARCOS: A draft of a proposed property-appearance ordinance will be presented by the city staff to the Student and Neighborhood Relations Commission tomorrow night.

The ordinance would institute basic upkeep standards for commercial and residential properties in categories such as landscaping and general appearance.

It's designed to encourage a uniform appearance in an area and to maintain or enhance property values, said Karl Schwarm, the city's director of housing and neighborhood services.

The ordinance is in response to a City Council goal of preserving the quality of neighborhoods, Schwarm said. It's timely because of a need to maintain property appearances when many homes are in foreclosure, he said.

It will be the first time that the commission has discussed the proposed ordinance. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive. Public input is welcome.

Another public discussion about the ordinance will be held in May. –L.L.

Grant program for nonprofits renamed

ENCINITAS: The city's annual grant program to assist tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations is getting a new name. Beginning July 1, it will be called the City of Encinitas and Mizel Family Foundation Community Grant Program.

This year's deadline to submit applications is 4 p.m. May 28. Grants will be awarded in July. The maximum amount is $5,000.

Grant applications are available to download on the city's Web site: cityofencinitas.org, under “City News and Events.”

The Encinitas City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to change the name.

The Mizel Family Foundation has provided matching grants for the pasttwo years. The foundation requested the name change after making a five-year commitment, beginning in fiscal year 2010, to match the city's grants, not to exceed $75,000 per year.

The program provides funding for nonprofits that provide a community benefit in two categories: civic (social, recreation, education, health and the environment) and arts (visual, performing and literary arts and arts education).

For information, call the City Manager's Office at (760) 633-2610. –T.M.

Nuke plant offers training at college

NORTH COUNTY: San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is offering a two-year job-training program through MiraCosta College in Oceanside for people interested in a career in maintenance and operations at a nuclear power plant.

An information session will be held at Palomar College in San Marcos at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The meeting will be held in the governing boardroom.

A similar session was held at MiraCosta last week.

General-education classes required in the training program can be taken at MiraCosta College or Palomar College. The technical and scientific training will be done through MiraCosta on site at the power plant, which is south of San Clemente.

The training includes a summer internship at San Onofre, paying about $21 per hour.